yesterday, it struck me that it had been a very long time since i’d worn a t-shirt. what was once a wardrobe staple for me, has now become a thing of the past. i usually opt for some sort of vintage blouse, pullover, or dress. and i knew it had become a thing when i recently attended a small event and a friend said, “wow, i can’t remember the last time i saw you wearing a t-shirt.” and it’s true, the occasions are few and far between. so yesterday i decided to style up a simple summer outfit with this cute sailboat t-shirt. we were off to take photos in some new location in the neighborhood when we realized two things: 1) it was actually pretty cold and overcast outside, and 2) there was an empty apartment in our building with the door left unlocked. a neighbor recently moved out, so her place is up for rent, which means we get free reign over a big empty space indoors to take some sneaky pictures!the light was soft and low, filtered through all of the closed blinds and drapes. we tip toed around because the emptiness of the room amplified the creeky floor boards, and we were nervous that a nosy neighbor might come over to scold us for taking pictures in there. our building is small and our neighbors have a tendency to make us feel like we’re surly kids up to no good, even though we happen to be very good tenants! so we quietly snapped away, trying to take advantage of the interesting light and new location.

t-shirt: lost at tee courtesy of modcloth
shorts: vintage khaki shorts from treefox vintage
bag: h&m striped tote bag
shoes: the perf sandals courtesy of modcloth
glasses: 3.1 phillip lim spring 2009

it also gave me the perfect opportunity to try out my scalloped shorts for the first time! these have actually been hanging around my closet for a couple of weeks while i tried to figure out the best way to wear them. ever since chloe spring 2009, i’ve been wanting a pair of scalloped edge shorts, so i guess i’d built it up a lot in my mind! so i’m glad that i was able to pair them up with the scalloped hem on this lovely cape.on a side note, yesterday i was having a conversation with my boyfriend as to the origin of this cape. my first inclination is that it’s a scandinavian style pattern, but i’ve also seen other similar capes with more native american style and mexican style prints as well… it’s vintage with no tag, so i’m basically just guessing. anyway, regardless of the origin, it got me thinking about conversations i’ve been reading on blogs like threadbared about cultural appropriation. so i thought i would offer up that link with some suggested reading for your friday afternoon. always good to do a little research into the history/origin of our clothes!

cape: vintage cape from leproust vintage
top: thrifted vintage silk blouse
shorts: lucca couture scalloped shorts
belt: thrifted vintage woven belt
shoes: kork-ease wedges
sunglasses: ray-ban round wayfarers

nope, my shorts don’t have scallops, but i still love them so. like i said, i’m really into wearing high rise shorts these days. and this particular pair was one of those really exciting etsy finds where i had been browsing here and there for something exactly like this, and i saw the picture and reluctantly clicked on it expecting the model to be, like, a size 0, so there would be no way i’d fit into them anyway. but then bam! they were perfect. just my size. “commit to buy.”

and i’m feeling quite relieved that i actually thought of an outfit to wear today because the past couple days have been really meh over here in my neck of the woods. but i finally pulled myself out of my funk and took a nice long shower and washed my hair after taking a weird nap at like 10am this morning, and i’m finally feeling better. of course, this also means that i have a ton of work to catch up on because i’ve been letting the apartment (and my email inbox) go to ruin, but i’m just gonna play some of montreal (satanic panic in the attic) really loud and get to work!

blouse: h&m
shorts: vintage liz claiborne from lola vintage
belt: vintage woven belt from we move vintage
tights: target
shoes: vintage tassel loafers from tree & kimball
coat: marc by marc jacobs from spring 2001 (i think)

with all this recent talk about spring and summer music festivals, i’ve started thinking about casual cool outfits for you know, like, fun in the sun and stuff. so while i’m not going to be spending my weekend at coachella i know a lot about dressing for that type of weather since i’m a native to those parts. to be exact, i’m from redlands, which is about an hour inland from los angeles. and if you drive for another hour east, you’ll find yourself in palm springs. in the summer months, it easily gets up to 115 degrees and hotter, so i know all about staying cool in the dry dessert heat. (also, redlands is actually a really spectacular city with incredible victorian architecture and historic buildings, but that’s for another blog post!)anyway, for some reason, whenever i think of dressing for the heat, i think of these types of preppy 80’s looks. perhaps because i’m familiar with the resort and retirement communities out in the desert, i always think of upturned collars on pale pastel blouses to wear while sipping lemonade and playing a round of tennis. last year, i would have sported this same look in a pair of perfectly destroyed denim cut offs, but this year it feels much more fresh to wear a cleaner look with an actual hem or rolled cuffs.

my two favorite colors these days are mustard yellow and a dark crimson red, though you’d probably never know it since i hardly ever wear said colors. instead, i always gravitating towards every possible shade of blue, from pale as the sky to dark inky hues. it’s definitely been a process collecting more pieces in the bright colors that i love. you probably remember months ago when i was obsessed with finding the perfect red cardigan, and how i haven’t shut up about hasbeens hasbeens hasbeens. i finally have both and i’m just happy as a clam. so what better way than to celebrate wearing some of my favorite things?

and can we talk about hansel from basel? i know i already added them to my spring shopping post, but i just have to mention them again. i discovered the line after reading a post over at fashion for writers and now i’m hooked. i will admit that i have a bit of brand loyalty to my favorite hosiery over at tabio (the 110 denier tights) and wolford (the merino wool tights), but good socks can be hard to come by. which is why i am in love with the pretty designs over at hansel from basel. they are fun and quirky, but never over the top. and they are just perfect for wearing with spring sandals.

cardigan: zara
blouse: bb dakota almond torte top from modcloth
shorts: vintage liz claiborne high rise denim from lola vintage
belt: nordstrom
socks: hansel from basel strawberry top crew in clove brown
sandals: swedish hasbeens super high peep toe in mustard

ok, today is probably not the best day for me to be focusing energy on the blog. saturday marks the end of the semester for me and i kinda have like 5 papers to write. this is all compounded by the fact that i was sick last weekend and missed a couple of classes, so i’m feeling especially lost about what all of these papers entail. i really should be a better student and start asking questions, but sometimes i get embarrassed when i fall behind and i can’t seem to speak up. so bad. in fact, this whole semester has been really bad and i can’t wait for it to be over so i can take a little break and re-evaluate my situation; get some focus and energy back before i start again in the spring.

so maybe all this thought about academia has influenced this outfit. geek chic anyone? actually, it’s probably just the latest trends taking hold of me. i just can’t help myself! i am head over heels for thigh high boots, i’ll always love a good blazer, and i’m a california girl, so cut off shorts are required. anyway, i don’t have the money to spend on thigh high boots, so i opted for socks pulled over my knees instead. it kinda works, no?

and what is this? can you believe i ventured off my roof and onto the street? i live in an urban area, but my house is in a residential neighborhood. let me just tell you, i don’t know how well this outfit will fly over here. i’m not generally shy about taking photos in public or anything, but the maintenance dudes were staring at us and some random duder just decided to stop on the sidewalk and watch us while we took photos. i felt creepy and my boyfriend agreed. we slowly walked away, and i found myself unsure of my sartorial decisions…